Tag Archives: giveaway

Happy Day-After Thanksgiving or as the retailers like to call it – Happy Black Friday! Hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday and if you are one of those Black Friday shoppers, I do hope your long waits in line were worth it!

Welcome to the 7th Annual Black Book Friday Bonanza. I’m thrilled to be a part of this blog hop because it falls perfectly before the new release of my new novel – Let Me Love You.

Twenty-three-year-old Ren Haynes returns home after graduating college with two goals–start his engineering career and claim the heart of his parents’ thirty-one-year-old divorced neighbor, Stacey Williams.

Stacey is nursing her broken heart and shattered ego. Not only did her ex-husband have an affair, he got the woman pregnant. Picking up the pieces of her life isn’t easy, so when Ren taps into her need to feel desired again, she finds herself in a position she never imagined.

Can Ren help to rebuild her confidence and convince her that age is just a number?

This story is near and dear to me and a long time coming. Back in 2015, I started writing the story of Ren and Stacey. At the time, it was called Love Thy Neighbor. I submitted the first 5,000 words of it to the Pages From the Heart writing contest just for the heck of it. And it won! 🙂

But commitments to other projects and life got in the way of me completing it. It sat in my WIP folder begging to be told. I worked on it periodically in the early part of 2017 with a promise that I’d publish it before year-end. After attending the RWA National Conference in Orlando in July, I was revived and inspired by so many aspiring and well-known authors that the rest of the story just starting pouring out of me. And as the story unfolded, I realized so did a new title for the story. If you pre-order it and read it on December 18th, you’ll understand why. Pre-order it on Amazon here.

As part of this blog hop, I’m giving away a $15 Amazon gift card. All you have to do is subscribe to my newsletter. Plus, you can earn extra points in the giveaway by tweeting about my new release or following me on Facebook. Good luck and happy blog hopping.

Now that the Christmas cookies are gone, gifts unwrapped, and your holiday visitors have left, you’ve earned some well-deserved TLC. Evernight authors not only have the cure for your holiday hangover, they have fantastic new books for your 2015 reading list, too!

Be sure to visit every stop on the hop and answer each question. The more blogs you hop, the more chances to win the GRAND PRIZE of an iPad Mini sponsored by Evernight Publishing (one entry per blog). Plus, hop each blog for a host of other fabulous prizes.

So sink into your favorite chair and enjoy your holiday hangover!

So Long Resolutions! Hello Goals!

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s 2015?! I can’t! With the new year often comes new year’s resolutions. Dictionary.com defines a resolution as “determining upon an action.” Statistics have proven that by January 30th ninety-two percent (92%) of people have already failed at the resolutions they set. Ninety-two percent! Within thirty days of setting it. To be honest, I’m not all that surprised by that number. I’m not really a resolution kind of person and on the very few times I’ve claimed some new year resolutions, I, too failed.

My husband and I actually sit down on New Years Eve and discuss and plan our goals. Personal. Couple. Family. And financial goals. What’s the difference between a resolution and a goal? Dictionary.com defines a goal as “a result or achievement toward which effort is directed.” To me, the difference between a resolution and a goal lies within the definitions themselves.

A resolution is simply determining an action. Say – I’m going to lose weight this year. The action is to lose weight. Or I’m going to start working out. Or I’m going to save money. Or I’m going to write more. You’ve defined the action but not how you’re going to get there nor have you set forth a clear result.

A goal, on the other hand, has a clear result or achievement in which you want to reach. Say – I want to lost twenty pounds by June. Or I’m going to workout three days per week. Or I’m going to save $5,000 in my savings account. I’m going to draft one novel of 50k words or more and prep it for submission. These results are specific. You know exactly what you want. You’ve spelled it out clearly what results you are going to achieve.

But if you’re setting goals, you aren’t done. Now you have to figure out how you’re going to reach those results. Let’s take the writing goal since that one is near and dear to me. How am I going to get there? This is what my written goal looks like given the fact that I work a full time day job:

Write 50k words or more novel and have ready for submission

Drafting to be completed within 30 weeks – leaves 22 weeks to revise and edit

Need approximately 1700 words per week

Dedicate two hours every Saturday and Sunday to writing – even if that means getting up early

Wake up early one week day to write

Make chart with word count each week to keep track of results and determine whether I need to make up time and words

Yes, this took a little time to create. I had to figure out in my crazy schedule how I was going to find the time to sit down and write (which sadly with a full time job, three young kids, a husband, a dog and guinea pig J is not always easy to do). I broke down my goal into small efforts that I could do to help me work toward my result.

I’m not saying it’s foolproof. You do have to hold yourself accountable for the goal. Write it down. Pin it somewhere you will see it every day. Cross out the steps you achieved along the way that bring you closer to your end result. When you hit the achievement… CELEBRATE!

I hope you and your families have had a safe and wonderful holiday season. May 2015 bring you all the things that make you smile. Don’t forget to answer the question below and then click the link to continue your hop.

Enter for a chance to win Evernight’s GRAND PRIZE of an iPad Mini and my blog prize by answering this question (be sure to include your email address to be eligible to win):

Welcome all you romance fiends! And I can call you that because I’m one too! 😉 ❤ There’s rarely a better time to get your blood pumping and your heart racing than on Valentine’s Day! Though I’m not necessarily one of the gushy girls that goes ga-ga over Valentine’s Day, I’m not inclined to ignore a day that emphasizes love and romance. I spend a good amount of my time writing about love and romance. I try to create stories that make us believe that romance and chivalry are not dead and that love is worth fighting for… but I do think love and romance should be celebrated every day, not just on Valentine’s Day! Right?!

I am happy to participate in Skye Warren’s Valentine’s Day Gift Hop. The prizes are great… a Kindle Paperwhite and digital new adult romance basket!

Nathan Thorne is many things. Confident. Proud. Strong. Ruggedly good-looking. And a firefighter. But what really makes him different from most men is that he’s part animal… literally…he shifts into a Florida panther. Nate has spent most of his life a loner, finding satisfaction in random women and roaming his one hundred fifty acres of Florida flatlands in Panther Ridge that his mother left him. He was content. But when Ciara Black enters Nate’s favorite hangout he doesn’t know what hit him. She’s everything he’s ever desired and he knows without a doubt that she’s his mate.

Ciara is on the run trying to escape her father and step-brother’s attempts to steal her Momma’s money. Life is hard and full of disappointments until she meets Nate Thorne. He turns her inside out with just a few words and a smile.

When someone threatens Ciara, Nate can’t do anything but protect what’s his. Can Ciara love him and the animal within?

If you want to see how I envisioned Nate and Ciara while I was creating their story, check out my Panther Ridge Pinterest board here.

If you’re interested in purchasing this anthology, you can find it at these following book distributors:

In order to be eligible for the hop prizes, you must leave comments as you bee-bop from site to site. Here’s my question for you to comment here: What’s the best Valentine’s Day gift you have ever received? Make sure to leave your email address with your comment so we know where to notify you of your winnings! Good luck and Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope it’s your best one yet! When you’re done here, make sure to click on the following link to continue on your journey to other great sites! http://www.skyewarren.com/hop/ Happy Hopping!

What’s up? I bet you’re all wondering what I, Matt Riley, am doing here at the Spicy Butterfly Garden. It does seem odd that a fireman from an erotic romance novel would be blog-posting on his author’s website. But as it stands, Jessica Jayne asked me to interview her for the Meet the Author Blog Hop and I had a hard time passing up this opportunity.

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Matt Riley and I’m best known as the hero of Jessica Jayne’s novel, In Flames.

I am a firefighter and with that role comes life-threatening experiences and moments of heroism. It’s a humbling, yet fascinating field and the camaraderie amongst my co-workers is much like a second family. And I owe a lot to them.

My brother, Chad, who was also a firefighter died while fighting a fire and that was a very difficult time in my life and his widow, Gracelyn’s. But Gracey and I became extremely close and have helped each other through the grieving process and are now moving on. I’m not going to go too much into the details of my relationship with Gracey. If you want to find out where we stand, you will need to read Jessica’s book. In fact, if you’re really curious, you can purchase it here:

Jessica: Well, my three children just started back to elementary school and that always seems to cause chaos in the schedule for the first several weeks. Despite all three of them loving school, it’s the getting everyone up in the morning and with the program that tends to be the issue.

Matt: Ha-ha! I can relate. Brian, Jenna and Josh will start back to school today (August 26), so Gracey and I have been prepping them by sending them to bed earlier and waking them up early for the last week. Not happy campers.

Jessica: It’s hard coming off summer vacation. I remember those days. It’s like coming off a vacation and going back to work when you’re an adult. It’s no fun!

Matt: Very true, Jess. So, did you do anything fun this summer?

Jessica: Of course! We took the kids to Legoland. Went bowling and to a trampoline park. Took the kids to their first fine dining restaurant for a “fancy dinner” as they like to call it. We did some fishing and spent some quality time on the beach. In fact, we rented a house on the beach for the family and hung out for seven days. It was glorious. We’d roll out of bed in the morning and right into the swimming pool. Then we’d wander back to the house for lunch and a nap. After nap, we’d roll out to the beach to hang for the afternoon and catch sunset. It was extremely relaxing. We had family and friends visit us. It was lovely.

Matt: Sounds like a great summer. Everyone can use down time. Did you do any other traveling over the summer?

Jessica: Anyone who knows anything about me knows I love to travel, so I try to squeeze in long weekends or quick trips here and there. My husband and I took a long weekend just the two of us and went to St. Augustine. We stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast called At Journey’s End and just enjoyed the romantic and historic elements of that wonderful city. We did a historical bike tour, took a sunset sail on a sailboat and ate very well.

Matt: I know with kids it is not always easy to find that “couple time.” Sounds like you and your husband try to find that time. It’s important to the relationship.

Jessica: Couldn’t agree more. If you don’t feed your relationship, you will starve it. And we lucked out! Both of our parents live fairly close to us, so they love taking the kids from time to time to give us that “couple time” and they get that “grandparents time.”

Matt: So, what has you excited for the foreseeable future?

Jessica: Football! College football to be more precise! The Ohio State Buckeyes to be exact! And of course, GameDay with Kirk Herbstreit! *smiles*

Matt: I should have known you’d go there! *laughs* I’m pretty psyched about this year’s Buckeyes team too! What is it about football season that gets you all riled up?

Jessica: I grew up in the Midwest, in Ohio in a house with a father and a brother that lived and breathed sports, particularly football. I probably went to my first high school football when I was two years old. It has been ingrained in me since I can remember. Plus, it’s hard not to like a bunch of guys running around in tight pants getting all sweaty and stuff. *winks*

Matt: You women! *rolls his eyes and chuckles* Gracey says the same thing!

Jessica: Gracey is a smart woman!

Matt: That she is! Any new books you’re working on that you want to share with us?

Jessica: Actually… yes! I have new release coming out this Tuesday, August 27th! Board Approved is the second book in the Taking Advantage series. Board Approved involves Greg Snow, a 42 year old corporate attorney, that has dedicated his life to his work because his first marriage failed miserably. He didn’t really want to put his heart into a relationship again. He is a member of the board of directors for Advantage Insurance Company and meets Tessa Mills at Advantage on board day. Tessa is a twenty-something yoga instructor that teaches lunch time classes at Advantage. She’s had a rough go of things and has generally had a bad run of guys in her life. What happens to two lost souls when they find each other? Can they overcome all the obstacles that stand in their way?

Matt: What?! You aren’t going to tell us the answers to those questions? *laughs*

Jessica: Nope. You’ll have to read the book to find out. *winks*

Matt: How did you come up with the Taking Advantage series?

Jessica: I came up with the first book in the story, Board Stiff, while I was sitting outside of the boardroom waiting to give a presentation to a board of directors. I thought… hmmmm… there’s a story here! I flipped over a corner of my presentation papers and jotted down the idea. From there the series idea just popped into my head. So, I’m doing three books about three guys on this board. They are all good-looking, single and at the top of their individual careers. I thought they also needed a love life, so I’m giving them each one. *smiles*

Matt: It’s interesting that every day events in your life trigger a story for you. Not being an author or writer of any sort, I’d have thought you needed to sit down and really think to come up with a story line.

Jessica: Fortunately, life provides ample storylines. I carry a notebook in my purse and jot things down as they come up. Your story with Gracelyn came to me as I was waiting in my car in the parking lot of a restaurant. I was waiting to meet some friends and I saw this couple come out of the restaurant. They appeared in love, but yet, they seem restrained… afraid or concerned about people seeing them together. Hence, the scene in In Flames where you and Gracelyn are leaving the bar and grill. *winks*

Matt: Ahhhh! I love that scene! Though it was emotional.

Jessica: Wouldn’t be a romance if there was no emotion!

Matt: Very true. *chuckles* So, can you tell us three of your most favorite activities?

Jessica: Hmmm… spending time with my kids and husband is top of the list. I don’t really care what we’re doing. There are always laughs and I love few things more than the sound of my children’s laughter. I’m a family kind of person, so spending time with family like my sister, my brother, my parents, counsins, in-laws, etc. I come from a rather large extended family, so I enjoy that kind of stuff. I’m a relationship kind of person meaning that I’d rather spend time with people than spend money on things. So, one of my other favorite activities is spending time with my friends. I’ve always had good friends and over the last few years I’ve met some really amazing women that I consider some of my best friends ever. We do all sorts of things, like country line dancing, going to the movies, playing board games.

Matt: What is your favorite board game?

Jessica: Great question. My favorites have been Apples to Apples or the Fifty Shades of Grey game. Yep! There is a board game based on the books! It’s hysterical. But we had a game night recently with other couples and played Cards Against Humanity, a game for horrible people. I’m pretty sure none of us have laughed that hard in quite some time. We had a roll of toilet paper on the table so that we could wipe the tears that would flow from laughing so hard. It’s a must, but it’s definitely an adult game!

Matt: Sounds great. I’m going to look that one up when I get home. We’re always looking for something new to do with our friends. As I understand the rules of this blog hop, you have to offer a code word. Do you have yours?

Jessica: Sure do. Code word – fireman

Matt: *laughs* Great one! Anything you want to add before we wrap this up?

Jessica: I’d like to thank you for taking the time to interview my for this blog hop, Matt. I appreciate it! I’d also like to thank my husband, family and friends for their constant support in this crazy journey I’ve decided to take on. I’d like to thank Evernight Publishing for taking so many chances on me. They are a great publisher. I’d like to express great appreciation to the book reviewers and bloggers that help get us newer authors’ names out there! And I’d like to thank the readers for giving my characters and stories a chance. It’s always been a dream of mine to be an author and it’s a great privilege to be given the opportunity.